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Public Talk in London
When we bring our attention to our in-breath or our step, something happens: the “energy of mindfulness” gently penetrates and transforms the breath or the movement—deeper, slower, more harmonious—without any intention to change it. Mindfulness is like sunshine on vegetation: it will have an effect on every mental formation—negative ones such as anger, fear, worries, jealousy, despair, and positive ones such as compassion, tolerance, loving-kindness, hope, joy. In Thay’s tradition there are fifty-one mental formations, mindfulness and concentration among them, and the basic practice of Buddhist meditation is to cultivate mindfulness, which brings concentration, insight, and compassion, able to liberate us from fear, anger, confusion, and so on.
Mindful breathing, walking, drinking, cooking, driving—any activity—brings us back to the present moment, releasing past regret and future worry. One in-breath or one step can already be liberating, nourishing, and healing; when deeply established in the here and now, we touch “all the wonders of life” and discover “many conditions of happiness” available for our transformation and healing. With mindfulness and concentration we can
- recognize pain, sorrow, fear, and embrace them tenderly to bring relief,
- look deeply to discover their roots and gain insight of impermanence and no-self,
- cultivate understanding and compassion (Buddha nature),
- enact right thinking, right speech, and right action to heal ourselves and the world.
True love in Buddhism has four elements—loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—and when our heart is vast, like an immense river, even “hundreds of kilograms of salt” (afflictions) cannot make us suffer.
